A mob allegedly thrashed a woman over suspicion of child-lifting on Monday, 26 August, in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district.
Alarming incidences of mobs attacking people based on false rumours of child-lifting are reportedly on the rise.
Here are nine cases that took place between 25-28 August that illustrate the perils of spreading these kinds of rumours. This list is not exhaustive as more cases continue to be reported.
1. Health Dept, Police Attacked by a Mob of 150
Ten people, including two policemen, were injured as a group of locals in neighbouring Fatehpur district pelted stones at police and attacked a health department team following rumours of child lifting, police stated on Thursday.
“Three separate cases have been registered and 15 people have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place on Wednesday when a health department van had gone to Khesahan village,” said SP Ramesh, reported PTI.
A group of nearly 150 people had laid siege to the health department van after the rumours sprang up.
The police team, which rushed to the spot, was attacked with stones, leaving 10 people injured.
Sub-Inspector Sunil Yadav and head constable Sarnam Singh were also injured in the incident.
“Security has been deployed in the village and the situation is normal,” said police.
2. Man Who Came to Sell Herbs Mistaken for Child-Lifter
Eight people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly thrashing a man on suspicion of being a child lifter in Shahjahanpur in Meerut on Sunday, the police said.
According to the police, Azad, a resident of Haryana’s Bhiwani, was in Shahjahanpur town under Kithor police station limits to sell herbs on the day that some people assumed he was a child-lifter and thrashed him.
The Superintendent of Police (SP), Akhilesh Narayan Singh, while speaking to ANI, said, “A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms. We identified the accused seen in the video and arrested them.”
The accused have been identified as Nadeem, Nazim, Pawan, Imran, Shahzad, Anas, Avneesh and Mustaji, all residents of Shahjahanpur.
3. Woman Gets Into Trouble For ‘Playing With Child’
A woman was thrashed by a mob outside a bank in Giridih, Jharkhand on Tuesday over child-lifting suspicions. She was rescued by the police who said that it was a “misunderstanding”.
The police, while speaking to ANI, said, “A woman left her son with her 8-year-old daughter outside a bank and went to withdraw cash. The victim, who was also going to bank, saw the boy crying and started playing with him.”
“When the mother of the infant saw this, she accused her of being a child-lifter which triggered the violence,” added the police.
4. Woman Who Was out With Grandson Attacked by Mob
Ghaziabad police on Tuesday warned against spreading fake news after misinformation about a woman child-lifter went viral on social media.
A woman had gone out with her grandson when she was attacked by a mob on child-lifting suspicions, near Johripur Loni border.
“She is not a child lifter. The child who was spotted with her is her grandson, Nonu,” the Police told ANI.
The police added, “Kindly do not broadcast and publicise such information and do not take law into your own hands. Strict action will be taken against the person who spreads fake news.”
5. Women Selling Ropes Beaten by Crowd
In another horrific incident, five women were beaten on similar allegations in Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday.
In the video, a huge crowd gathered and beat them while people watched.
The women said that they hailed from Surat, Gujarat, and added that as they had children of their own, they wouldn’t think of doing something like this to others.
“We went into the neighbourhood and the people started accusing us of child-lifting,” said one of them, reported ANI.
“Police reached the spot promptly. These women had come to sell ropes and toys. The people falsely accused them of child-lifting and thrashed them. We have written a report on the basis of the video and information given to us by the women,” SP Ajay Kumar Pandey told ANI.
6. Two Old Men Heckled, Thrashed in Kanpur
In Kanpur, two old men, Rajneesh and Ankur Gupta, were beaten by a mob on the same allegations, on Tuesday.
The crowd surrounded them and checked their Aadhar cards as well. On being repeatedly questioned, the two men said they didn’t hail from Kanpur, but were screamed at by the crowd.
As seen in the video shot of the incident, the men were abused, harassed and beaten as they lay helplessly on the ground.
SSP Anant Deo said that they were attacked on the rumours of child-lifting.
Speaking to ANI, he said,“The two men have been living with their families in Kanpur. They originally belong to Aligarh. Two people have been arrested in the case so far.”
“Five people have been arrested so far, and the investigation is underway,” he added.
7. Two Men Thrashed by Mob in Sambhal, One Dies
One man was allegedly killed and another was critically injured after they were beaten up by a mob on child-lifting rumours in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
Police searched the spot soon after the incident occurred and the victims were rushed to a nearby hospital.
“We have arrested four people till now and strict action will be taken against the accused people. Investigation in the matter is underway,” Yamuna Prasad, Superintendent of Police (SP) told ANI.
He said, “The victims were heading to Chandausi in UP with their nephew for his medical treatment when a mob stopped them near a village and attacked on suspicion of child-lifting. One died when he was brought to the hospital and another person is being treated in Sambhal,” he added.
8. Trio Attempts to Flee As Things Turn Violent in Bihar
In Bihar's Gaya district, three people were beaten up by a mob on child-lifting allegations, the police said on Tuesday.
The three persons, all in their 30s and residents of Gaya town, caused a flutter in the village by firing a shot, the Tankuppa police station SHO Vikas Chandra stated.
“They were accompanied by a 12-year-old boy from their locality in Gaya. On seeing agitated villagers rushing towards them, they panicked and started fleeing in their car. This led to rumours that the three persons were running away after abducting the child,” said Chandra, reported PTI.
The officer added that when the trio and the child attempted to flee, the car overturned which caused minor injuries.
Following this, the villagers beat up the three people and only stopped when the child said that he was related to them, the SHO confirmed.
9. ‘Beat Me, Forced Me to Shave My Head’
In another gruesome incident, a middle-aged woman was allegedly thrashed by a mob on suspicion of child-lifting on Monday in Etah, Uttar Pradesh.
In the video that went viral, the woman was seen crying and claiming to be innocent while the mob grabbed her hair and kicked her multiple times.
Narrating her ordeal after being rescued by the police, the woman told ANI, “The people were beating me on suspicion of child-lifting and they even tried to forcefully shave my head. I was lying on the road and they were hitting me.”
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sunil Kumar Singh said that an FIR has been registered in the case and the identification of the accused is underway.
The list does not end here.
A woman was tied to a tree and beaten up mercilessly by villagers on 11 August over similar allegations.
On 9 August, a man who was thrashed by a mob on the same suspicion died in Patna.
In Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, a self-proclaimed godman who goes by the name of 'Sakhi Baba' was beaten up by a mob along with two of his disciples on suspicion of child-lifting.
Clearly, the hysteria over child-lifting and the rumour-mongering are far more widespread and deadlier than we realise.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI).
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)